Do what you love and money will follow!

Do you dream of breaking free from the 9-5 story? Does your heart skip a beat with the thought of making money by pursuing your hobby? Well, there is good news for you. Yes, it is possible to turn your dreams into reality. Read on to know more.

Photographs: pexels/Creative Commons

So now think about all the things you have dreamt of and achieved in the past. Scoring a distinction in the degree exam, marrying your sweetheart, getting that coveted job or buying your first house or car! All those things once featured in your goals list. It was something you hoped for and later went on to achieve. It required passion, dedication and planning. And it is these very qualities that will lead you to your dream life.

1. Have a vision

Yes, literally a vision! And make it your obsession. A vision is set for a time in the future. You must be able to visualise a certain event with all its glorious details.

When Djokovic held the winning trophy at Wimbledon 2015, he said he had envisioned that moment many times. Its stuff that dreamers do and you should do too.

2. Strategise

You need to have an intelligent plan to help achieve your goals. For example, if your dream is to ditch 9-5 and become a full time travel writer then you need to start writing about your travels every day. Planning short trips around, booking tickets for trips to far away countries a couple of months apart and saving up for this.

Fancy dining, expensive watches and other such expenses need to take a back seat. That's strategic planning.

To say 'yes' to your dreams, you must learn to say 'no' to things which won't lead you to it. Having a strategy in place is very important.

3. Set SMART goals

Dreams can be overwhelming and feel unattainable. Setting SMART goals early on the journey will totally help. SMART goals are goals which are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Break the whole process into small goals.

These wins will make you confident and lead you to the dream run and victory! It will also draw a very fair and realistic picture at the early stage of your journey. So you will know what to expect on the road.

4. Commitment is the name of the game

Once you have committed to your dreams, nothing should distract you. Not even your own voice, just like Salman Khan says! Stick to your word throughout. The journey towards achieving your goals will have highs and lows but what you can ensure is that there should be no excuses.

With that attitude nothing can stop your dreams from turning into reality.

5. Ignore the voices around

Pursuing your dreams is a courageous thing. It takes passion, faith and determination. If not, you would find everybody doing exactly what they love. So when you set out to do something different, people are going to sit up and take notice. Expect a lot of unwanted free advice and instructions about what you should be doing. Now before you pay heed to those words and allow it to affect your course of actions, ask yourself, are those people living their dream?

More often than not they would have resigned to conventions and boredom. Their own voices would stop them from following a different path. Let it not stop you.

6. Can't stop, won't stop

Make your dream the goal of your life and decide to devote your time to its relentless pursuit. Never give up. Perseverance will get you there even if talent is compromised on. People who make it to the top are the people who said they won't stop. Condition your mind to this thought process. Join the tribe who believes that their goals are worth devoting their time to and their dreams are worth turning into reality.

Nothing is impossible even though it can certainly be difficult to achieve. Everything depends on how badly you want something and the willingness to persevere. So trust yourself and proceed confidently in the direction of your dreams. We hope this article helps you heaps. Good luck!

The author is a credit expert with 10 years of experience in personal finance and consumer banking industry and another 7 years in credit bureau sector. Rajiv was instrumental in setting up India's first credit bureau, Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited (CIBIL). He has also worked with Citibank, Canara Bank, HDFC Bank, IDBI Bank and Experian in various capacities.